Educational Leadership: Curriculum Development

Incorporation of Global/Multicultural Education in the Kindergarten Social Studies Classroom

What is Multicultural Education?

Multicultural education relates to education and instruction designed for the cultutes of several different races in an educational system. This approach to teaching and learning is based upon consensus building, respect, and fostering cultural pluralism within racial societies. Muticultural education acknowledges and incorporates positive racial idiosyncrasies into classroom atmospheres. (Wilson, 2012).

Rationale:

As students move beyond high school and college into the workplace, they will enter jobs that require not only critical thinking skills, but also acceptance of others' differences. To translate academic achievement is not limited to just getting good grades but learning how to communicate and respect every student and their differences, today's children need to graduate with a different set of skills than their parents. (Rhodes, 2010)

Research has indicated that ethnic minority students are disproportionately poor, dropping out of school, being suspened or expelled, and achieving far below their potential relative to the ethnic majority. Consequently, teachers must prepare themselves and their children for the ever changing challenge of interacting and communicating with diverse races.

Aims/Goals/Objectives:

Aim: Expose Children to Global Multiculturalism through different customs, resources, experiences, and topics to prepare them for and expose them to our diverse and cultural nation.

Goals	Objectives
Celebrations/Holidays	SWBAT: Describe different celebrations and holidays around the world Explore different celebrations around the world Create/plan a new celebration
Culture	SWBAT: Describe customs of different communities Understand how people learn about themselves through family customs and traditions Food Clothing Shelter Holidays Celebration Share a personal custom or tradition in thier family
Flags	SWBAT: Identify the flags of the United States, Texas, and other countries Understand that a symbol is something which stands for or suggests something else; It can be a visble sign of something which is intangible.
Voting	SWBAT: Explain the use of voting as a method for group decision making Explore different types of voting methods including around the world Use voting to make classroom decions

TEKS: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skill Standards
00KSS01
00KSS10
00KSS12

Background Information:

Concepts	Basic Ideas/Key Standards
Multiculturalism	Multiculturalism is an ideology that multiple cultures exist. That diversity and cultural uniqueness make up our nation
Communities	Communites have an identity that is celebrated through recognition of ethnic, cultural, and community celebrations
Celebrations	Celebrations help people learn about themselves. They define the people’s identiy in the community including festivals, parades, county fairs, rodeos, etc.
Customs	Customs create a bond based on common experience and shared values
Traditions	Are developed from the process of sharing knowledge and practices through generations with and without written instruction
Voting	Voting is used as a method for group decision making to express first choice for a particular person or on a issue

Philosophical/Theoretical Basis:

Philosophy Foundation

This curriculum supports several types of philosophy. It addresses the conservative tradition in philosophy in underlying essentialism because it strictly discipline kids` minds with the basic concepts, values, and customs in their cultures such as customs in greetings, foods, clothes, relationships and values of society. In addition, it supports perennialism since this curriculum has the basic skills that kids need such as reading, writing, arts, speaking and listening. It tends to discipline the academic skills for kids by motivating their thinking and analyzing their cultures.
Further, this curriculum addresses the progressive tradition by supporting experimentalism in enhancing critical thinking for kids, and providing them with some backgrounds about other cultures. In addition, it allows them to express their ideas orally based on their knowledge and experiences by asking them reflecting questions like "how do feel about...?" and "what do you think about...?".Moreover, it communicates with romantic naturalism in enhancing kids to create and innovate since there are several free activities that give kids democracy to build their socio-civic experience and to promote their self education such as encouraging kids to illustrate their culture of the classroom by pictures and some words. It supports the social efficiency because this curriculum refers to the social history and culture by addressing the events and values in society. In addition, it reveals the radical tradition in philosophy by addressing social reconstructionism because the overall lessons provide kids with backgrounds about their history that may assist them to recognize their social citizenship and national identity. Moreover, it involves postmodernism philosophy because it focuses on differences, sharing cultures, diversity of religions, and general attitudes.

Example of an 'Experience":

Classroom Experiences Include:
PBS kids and Discovery Education Videos
Cooperative Projects
Reenactments
Guest Speakers
Pen Pals
Multicultural Club

Experiences to be continued at home:
Family Vacations
Fareign exchange programs
Pick a different culture every few months and learn together

Sources/Resources:

Media:

Discovery Education Streaming

Websites:

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0909585.html
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/peopleplaces/winter-celebrations/
http://pbskids.org/democracy/parentseducators/
http://kids.yahoo.com/reference/world-factbook
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/flagsoftheworld.html
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/flagcnty.htm
http://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Multiculturalism_for_Kids
http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/menu_penpals.php

Literature:

Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!By Anabel and Barnabas Kindersley
Celebrations in My World! Series by Moly Aloian, Lynn Peppas, and Robert Walker
Customs and Traditionsby Bobbie Kalman, Tammy Everts
F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette
Vote! By Eillen Christelow
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
The Ballot Box Battle by Emily Anrold McCully

ACTIVITIES:

Australia	Visit Australia one day for activities, crafts and coloring pages that introduce Australia and this holiday. Show them Australian food,clothes, flag.
Canada	Show them short examples about Canada`s culture in clothes, food, greeting. Ask them to match the pictures with the right country that represent.
China	Show them short video about China`s culture and where it is located on the earth. Ask them to draw anything that represent China`s culture.
France	Display some pictures about France and show them the flag of France.
Ireland	Color some pictures that represent Ireland and give them a brief summary about Ireland`s culture such as name some kinds of food in Ireland.
United States		Demonstrate the United States culture in thier food, religion, famous places, greetings and other customes. show them pictures represent America`s culture and ask them to color and match picture with their description.

References:

Rhodes, L. (2010). Importance of Multicutural Classrooms.
WIlson, K. (2012). Multicultural Education.
Everything Preschool. Retrieved from < http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/multicultural/more.htm>
eHow family. Retrieved from<http://www.ehow.com/info_8196064_diversity-multicultural-activities-preschool.html>
Hlebowitsh, P.S. (2005). Designing the school curriculum. United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc